Playmakers like the Honey Badger don't just grow on trees. Before a single snap has taken place this season Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu has disrupted college football. Mathieu's dismissal has LSU scrambling to fill his position, school's like McNeese State dreaming of defensive dominance, and the AP preseason votes being recalled and recast. How many individual players can boast that AP ballots for preseason rankings hinge on where they play? There is no doubt, Tyrann Mathieu is an impact player. But the fact is LSU will no longer have the services of the Honey Badger. So, what does LSU's defense look like without the Honey Badger?
First, let's get some perspective. As exciting as Tyrann Mathieu has been the last two years, he was just about to start only his third year at LSU. In 2010 Mathieu had a spectacular Cotton Bowl but the top cornerbacks on the 2010 team were Patrick Peterson and Morris Claiborne. Peterson was the impact player of 2010. Peterson was the shutdown corner in college football in 2010 and as a punt returner, Peterson returned 26 punts for 418 yards and two touchdowns. Peterson also set an LSU record with 932 kickoff return yards. Claiborne was a bit of question mark at the beginning of 2010. Remember, Claiborne was a converted wide receiver that had played quarterback at Fair Park High School only two years previously. Everyone tested Claiborne in 2010 and that may have something to do with his stellar career and first round selection in the NFL draft. My point is that as outstanding as Mathieu has been LSU had defensive backs before the Honey Badger and will continue to have great defensive backs step forward this year.
Keeping that in mind, LSU's defense is way more than just great defensive backs. Just starting his fourth year as LSU's defensive coordinator, John Chavis has established LSU as "Defense U" with the only other possible contender being SEC West rival Alabama. The running for "Defense U" drops off significantly after LSU and Alabama. While still putting things into perspective, I should also mention that LSU is 75-18 in the last 7 years under the leadership of Les Miles. 75 wins in 7 years doesn't occur on the shoulders of one great impact player.
So with a little bit of perspective in mind, what are John "the Chief" Chavis and Les "the Mad Hatter" Miles going to do this season without Tyrann "the Honey Badger" Mathieu? The rave reviews of Mathieu by Chavis and the look on Miles' face at having to announce Mathieu's dismissal tell us that the coaches are going to have to really go to work but this isn't their first rodeo. It appears that LSU's defense may have more help from the offense this year. Mettenberger promises to stretch the field with a long range passing game; LSU has 5 or 6 top notch running backs and the depth and; experience at offensive line should provide opportunities to pass and run.
When LSU is playing defense Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery will not be giving quarterbacks much time to figure out how to exploit a thinner defensive backfield. Up until a couple of years ago the stars of LSU's defense was the defensive line. The quality of LSU's defensive line hasn't changed. LSU's D-line is still outstanding.
The only possible question mark prior to the dismissal of Mathieu was the linebacker corp. I think the linebackers are going to really shine this season. Kevin Minter is a solid leader in the middle and may prove to be one of the truly great linebackers to play in Death Valley. Lamin Barrow registered a sack in the scrimmage as an outside linebacker and I think he is a real candidate to take the "no holds barred" beserker pass rush duties that Mathieu was famous for last year. I think Barrow can produce sacks and turnovers.
Miles mentioned that a linebacker that can cover might be the solution to the nickel package. Interesting fact, according to Rivals.com 7 incoming freshmen defensive backs have been clocked a 4.4 or 4.5 seconds in 40-yards. Incoming linebackers Deion Jones, Kwon Alexander, and Lamar Louis are all 6' tall or taller, weigh at least 200lbs. and can run at least a 4.5 40.
In terms of replacing Mathieu at cornerback when not in the nickel, true freshman Jalen Mills has been getting a solid tryout and may split time with redshirt freshman Jalen Collins. Both of these guys were already likely to see a lot of playing time prior to the Honey Badger's exit and the Jalens may have the opportunity that Morris Claiborne had in 2010 to prove that neither man is a weak link. Speaking of the Morris Claiborne experience, LSU has just converted a fast "Mo Claiborne like" wide receiver to cornerback. Keep an eye on Kavahra Holmes. Holmes is 6'2" 180lbs and was clocked at 4.4seconds in the 40 by Rivals.com. As a converted wide receiver, Holmes also has good hands and knows how to catch a ball. The same thought pattern made Morris Claiborne into the NFL caliber shutdown corner that he is today. Moving Holmes to the defensive side of the ball is not a bad idea. We may have to wait for next year for his time to come but, don't be surprised if Holmes becomes one of the future great LSU cornerbacks.
LSU is going to miss the Honey Badger. Tyrann Mathieu was the key to several LSU wins last year. But rest assure, LSU is not a one player team. Talent runs deep on the bayou. The void left by Mathieu will be filled.
I remember a commercial a few years ago where different people would proclaimed "I am Tiger Woods." The message of that commercial was that there is greatness in each of us. I am looking forward to seeing LSU Tiger defenders step up this year and proclaim "I am the Honey Badger." It will be exciting to see who steps up this year and creates turnovers and that spark that were the mark of a truly outstanding football player. I truly wish Mr. Mathieu the best and look forward to seeing him in the NFL. I can forgive you for the selfish mistakes you have made that has put your LSU family in this difficult position and I wish you the very best.
Showing posts with label All Bob's 2012 LSU Posts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label All Bob's 2012 LSU Posts. Show all posts
August 13, 2012
August 11, 2012
ESPN has named USC #1?!
I have been kind of busy working, raising a family and working on a second Masters degree through the University of Missouri (my first was at Texas A&M after undergrad at LSU). When did USC become the team to beat this year? I know preseason rankings don't mean diddly but should ESPN rank USC preseason #1?
Let's set aside the fact that ESPN is rewarding a team on its first year off of sanctions and evaluate the possibility that USC deserves to be ranked #1 in preseason. Often it is said that preseason rankings are largely based on the previous year's performance. I do not follow USC so let's take a look back at how they performed last year.
Did USC play quality ranked opponents last year? Yep, USC played two ranked teams Oregon and Stanford. USC beat a then #4 ranked Oregon team 38-35 and only lost to a #6 ranked Stanford 56-48 in triple OT. Wonder if that was the same Oregon team that LSU beat 40-27 despite LSU having starting players missing and the distraction of legal action looming over there heads at the time? Must not be the same Oregon team, because the score seems to indicate that LSU's win was a bit more substantial. Maybe the triple overtime loss to Stanford was an impressive loss.
Was that USC's only loss last season? No, USC also lost to Arizona State 43-22. Maybe Arizona State was really good last year. Um, well ASU wasn't half bad they went 6-6 in the regular season and only dropped to 6-7 after losing to Boise State 56-24 in the MAACO Bowl. Interesting.
Well maybe USC blew out ever other opponent last year. There is still hope that USC may be a legitimate preseason #1. USC opened up at home last season by beating Minnesota 19-17. Admittedly, a close game but maybe Minnesota was a powerhouse last year. Oh, nope - Minnesota went 3-9 last year but of those 9 losses they did have one close loss. Wait that was the two point loss to USC at USC. I will also mention that USC only beat an unranked Arizona team by 7 point last season but I think you get the picture. Last year's record does not warrant naming USC preseason #1 even if the entire USC team is returning this year.
Maybe USC compares favorably to LSU and Alabama that are ranked #2 and #3 respectively by ESPN. In 9 out of 14 games LSU played against ranked opponents. They went 13-1 only losing in the BCS championship. Even in that one loss LSU allowed only one touchdown. Though LSU had almost no offense in both of the games against the eventual national champions, LSU was the only team to defeat last year's national champions. LSU finished with a two touchdown or greater lead in all but one of their 13 regular season wins. Alabama only had one loss last year; a 9-6 home loss to LSU. Alabama beat all opponents, except LSU, by 18 points or more and they beat LSU 21-0 in the BCS national championship.
By what objective standard did the experts at ESPN determine that USC is preseason #1? While preseason rankings are meaningless, no good LSU fan will forget the split 2003 national championship. Even though LSU beat Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship game, the national championship title was shared that year with USC. That could happen again this year. I hope LSU and USC have the opportunity to face off at the end of the season this year.
Let's set aside the fact that ESPN is rewarding a team on its first year off of sanctions and evaluate the possibility that USC deserves to be ranked #1 in preseason. Often it is said that preseason rankings are largely based on the previous year's performance. I do not follow USC so let's take a look back at how they performed last year.
Did USC play quality ranked opponents last year? Yep, USC played two ranked teams Oregon and Stanford. USC beat a then #4 ranked Oregon team 38-35 and only lost to a #6 ranked Stanford 56-48 in triple OT. Wonder if that was the same Oregon team that LSU beat 40-27 despite LSU having starting players missing and the distraction of legal action looming over there heads at the time? Must not be the same Oregon team, because the score seems to indicate that LSU's win was a bit more substantial. Maybe the triple overtime loss to Stanford was an impressive loss.
Was that USC's only loss last season? No, USC also lost to Arizona State 43-22. Maybe Arizona State was really good last year. Um, well ASU wasn't half bad they went 6-6 in the regular season and only dropped to 6-7 after losing to Boise State 56-24 in the MAACO Bowl. Interesting.
Well maybe USC blew out ever other opponent last year. There is still hope that USC may be a legitimate preseason #1. USC opened up at home last season by beating Minnesota 19-17. Admittedly, a close game but maybe Minnesota was a powerhouse last year. Oh, nope - Minnesota went 3-9 last year but of those 9 losses they did have one close loss. Wait that was the two point loss to USC at USC. I will also mention that USC only beat an unranked Arizona team by 7 point last season but I think you get the picture. Last year's record does not warrant naming USC preseason #1 even if the entire USC team is returning this year.
Maybe USC compares favorably to LSU and Alabama that are ranked #2 and #3 respectively by ESPN. In 9 out of 14 games LSU played against ranked opponents. They went 13-1 only losing in the BCS championship. Even in that one loss LSU allowed only one touchdown. Though LSU had almost no offense in both of the games against the eventual national champions, LSU was the only team to defeat last year's national champions. LSU finished with a two touchdown or greater lead in all but one of their 13 regular season wins. Alabama only had one loss last year; a 9-6 home loss to LSU. Alabama beat all opponents, except LSU, by 18 points or more and they beat LSU 21-0 in the BCS national championship.
By what objective standard did the experts at ESPN determine that USC is preseason #1? While preseason rankings are meaningless, no good LSU fan will forget the split 2003 national championship. Even though LSU beat Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship game, the national championship title was shared that year with USC. That could happen again this year. I hope LSU and USC have the opportunity to face off at the end of the season this year.
College Football without The Honey Badger
Thanks to Les Miles and the LSU sports information department for waiting until August 10 to drop this bomb on us. Had they announced the dismissal of Tyrann "the Honey Badger" Mathieu from the team four days earlier, on August 6, generations of LSU fans would be confused and possibly miss out on millions of dollars on game shows when asked "What major bomb was dropped on August 6?" Luckily the correct and only answer to that is still "The U.S. dropped the Atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan marking the end of World War II." I should also extend a personal thanks because this year August 6 marked 24 years of blissful marriage to my wife, Kim.
Some that are reading this stopped in the first line at the word "waiting" and are still asking "Bob, how do you know that Miles and the sports information department waited?" The answer to that is clear, in retrospect. Tyrann Mathieu, probably the most interesting person in college football these days, was not invited to be a part of SEC media days. Practices were closed to the media. When asked about how Tyrann would be utilized this year the coaches gave some sort of vague "we might put him just about anywhere in the defensive backfield". And even before August 10, Coach Miles mentioned that freshmen would get more opportunities to play in the defensive backfield this year. That last one caught my attention but, at the time, I thought "well, surely we aren't going to keep the starters in the entire game against the Towson State." The signs were there that something was up but; I think most of us that noticed thought that maybe LSU was trying to tone down and polish up the image of the Honey Badger; priming him for a better shot at the Heisman this year.
Let's face it once he moved on to the NFL, Mathieu was a lock for future Androgel/Testosterone commercials or that "most interesting man in the world" commercial . The Honey Badger was a game changer that provided college football fans with over-the-top moments last year. My favorite moment was in the Oregon game when he stripped the ball, recovered it and walked in for a touchdown. That was the best way to start an almost perfect season. My second favorite moment was at West Virginia when he tipped and caught a pass and nearly scored a touchdown.
I read in an article from The Sporting News yesterday that no one told Tyrann that they loved him until he was 5 years old. That's messed up. I hope Tyrann gets the message that Tiger Nation loves him and not just because of the highlight moments. We love the fact that Tyrann brought a passion to the game and was an example of what happens when you have an enduring faith that you can make things happen. The way he made things happen on the field gives the rest of us hope that we can fight through our struggles.
If the Honey Badger were a Hollywood celebrity, he would just check into the Betty Ford clinic and be back by the beginning of the season. But he is just poor young man from New Orleans. Surely someone had mentioned to Tyrann that if he tested positive for drugs that he would be kicked off the team. Undoubtedly someone sat Mr. Mathieu down and said plainly that if he did not totally quit drugs that he could not play LSU football ever again. To have knowingly given all of that up, his passion, for drugs suggests that Mathieu may have a serious problem. Is LSU and the rest of the sporting world handling this kind of problem in the right way? Where are those people that claim that drug addiction is a disease? By the way, I am not one of those people. I think doing drugs is a choice and very different from say, getting cancer. On the other hand, Mathieu brought lots of money to those that make money off of college football. Don't those people have a moral responsibility? Shouldn't someone provide an all expenses paid trip to a reputable drug addiction program? It cannot be an LSU booster. But honestly, drug abuse or alcohol abuse is not like other crimes. Fighting, theft, inappropriate touching all by nature have immediate and direct victims. Drug abuse often leads to others becoming victims but the person in all cases directly being hurt is the drug user himself. It is hard for me to see the Honey Badger as a victim but his actions have proven to be very self-destructive. He did not beat any body up, he didn't sexually abuse anybody, and he didn't steal anything and somebody not connected to LSU, that loves college football, and that has more money than I do should put this guy through drug rehab and once declared drug free the Honey Badger should be allowed to play football for LSU.
LSU will be fine without Mr. Mathieu. It was not too many seasons ago that the big story was that a young cornerback named Morris Claiborne was going to be "picked on" because no one was going to throw a football in Patrick Peterson's direction. Trust me, LSU has very capable defensive backs with or without the Honey Badger. LSU also has capable return men and big time play makers. Tyrann Mathieu is a special football player. Mathieu will be missed very much but; by nature, college football only allows us to count on having a great player four and more often than not, only three years. All major college programs are constantly in reload mode. And Les Miles has always kept the cupboard of talent in LSU football filled and overflowing. But now is the time for LSU players to step up and fill a huge void left in the wake of the Honey Badger.
Some that are reading this stopped in the first line at the word "waiting" and are still asking "Bob, how do you know that Miles and the sports information department waited?" The answer to that is clear, in retrospect. Tyrann Mathieu, probably the most interesting person in college football these days, was not invited to be a part of SEC media days. Practices were closed to the media. When asked about how Tyrann would be utilized this year the coaches gave some sort of vague "we might put him just about anywhere in the defensive backfield". And even before August 10, Coach Miles mentioned that freshmen would get more opportunities to play in the defensive backfield this year. That last one caught my attention but, at the time, I thought "well, surely we aren't going to keep the starters in the entire game against the Towson State." The signs were there that something was up but; I think most of us that noticed thought that maybe LSU was trying to tone down and polish up the image of the Honey Badger; priming him for a better shot at the Heisman this year.
Let's face it once he moved on to the NFL, Mathieu was a lock for future Androgel/Testosterone commercials or that "most interesting man in the world" commercial . The Honey Badger was a game changer that provided college football fans with over-the-top moments last year. My favorite moment was in the Oregon game when he stripped the ball, recovered it and walked in for a touchdown. That was the best way to start an almost perfect season. My second favorite moment was at West Virginia when he tipped and caught a pass and nearly scored a touchdown.
I read in an article from The Sporting News yesterday that no one told Tyrann that they loved him until he was 5 years old. That's messed up. I hope Tyrann gets the message that Tiger Nation loves him and not just because of the highlight moments. We love the fact that Tyrann brought a passion to the game and was an example of what happens when you have an enduring faith that you can make things happen. The way he made things happen on the field gives the rest of us hope that we can fight through our struggles.
If the Honey Badger were a Hollywood celebrity, he would just check into the Betty Ford clinic and be back by the beginning of the season. But he is just poor young man from New Orleans. Surely someone had mentioned to Tyrann that if he tested positive for drugs that he would be kicked off the team. Undoubtedly someone sat Mr. Mathieu down and said plainly that if he did not totally quit drugs that he could not play LSU football ever again. To have knowingly given all of that up, his passion, for drugs suggests that Mathieu may have a serious problem. Is LSU and the rest of the sporting world handling this kind of problem in the right way? Where are those people that claim that drug addiction is a disease? By the way, I am not one of those people. I think doing drugs is a choice and very different from say, getting cancer. On the other hand, Mathieu brought lots of money to those that make money off of college football. Don't those people have a moral responsibility? Shouldn't someone provide an all expenses paid trip to a reputable drug addiction program? It cannot be an LSU booster. But honestly, drug abuse or alcohol abuse is not like other crimes. Fighting, theft, inappropriate touching all by nature have immediate and direct victims. Drug abuse often leads to others becoming victims but the person in all cases directly being hurt is the drug user himself. It is hard for me to see the Honey Badger as a victim but his actions have proven to be very self-destructive. He did not beat any body up, he didn't sexually abuse anybody, and he didn't steal anything and somebody not connected to LSU, that loves college football, and that has more money than I do should put this guy through drug rehab and once declared drug free the Honey Badger should be allowed to play football for LSU.
LSU will be fine without Mr. Mathieu. It was not too many seasons ago that the big story was that a young cornerback named Morris Claiborne was going to be "picked on" because no one was going to throw a football in Patrick Peterson's direction. Trust me, LSU has very capable defensive backs with or without the Honey Badger. LSU also has capable return men and big time play makers. Tyrann Mathieu is a special football player. Mathieu will be missed very much but; by nature, college football only allows us to count on having a great player four and more often than not, only three years. All major college programs are constantly in reload mode. And Les Miles has always kept the cupboard of talent in LSU football filled and overflowing. But now is the time for LSU players to step up and fill a huge void left in the wake of the Honey Badger.
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